Synthesis of Amorphous Molybdenum Sulfide/Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanohybrids Using Plasma Reduction

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) such as MoS
2
have emerged as promising candidates for replacement of Pt-based catalysts for HER. However, the poor conductivity of TMDs hinders the electron-transfer process and thus limit the HER performance. Assembling TMDs with conductive supports such as graphene has been demonstrated as an efficient way to improve HER performance. Furthermore, compared with its crystalline counterpart, amorphous molybdenum sulfide (a-MoS
x
) is believed to possess better activity toward HER. Up to now, some preparation methods have been proposed to synthesize a-MoS
x
, including electrochemical deposition, wet-chemical synthesis and thermolysis. However, these synthesis approaches still suffer from one or more of the following drawbacks, such as solvent toxicity, high- temperature processing and time- and labor-consuming. A strategy that overcomes all of the above-mentioned problems is still highly desirable.